why are paper cuts so painful?

Question

why are papercuts so painful? i've just cut myself with a paper, and it hurts a lot, it doesn't hurt that much i cut myself with a knife or anything else so why?

Answer 1

Paper is glazed with a mineral (usually china clay). When you cut yourself with paper, a small amount of mineral is left in the wound. Because paper cuts are very fine, they start to heal almost immediately. The presence of foreign matter in the wound as it tries to heal makes it hurt. (It's harmless but painful)

If you get a paper cut, wash it well under running cold water. It will be less painful and it will heal more quickly.

Answer 2

A cut with a piece of paper not only parts the flesh, but it also damages the skin on either side of the wound because of the paper's rough and fibrous surface. By contrast, a cut with a razor causes little excess damage and leaves little foreign matter behind because it is so smooth and clean. The cut can also bleed quite freely, helping to wash away anything that might cause infection.
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Paper cuts can cause surprisingly acute pain since they usually stimulate a large number of skin surface pain receptors (nociceptors) in a very small area of the skin. Because the shallow cut does not bleed very much, the pain receptors are left open to the air, ensuring continued pain. This is exacerbated by irritation caused by the fibers in the paper itself, which may be coated in chemicals such as bleach. Additionally, most paper cuts occur in the fingers, which have a greater concentration of sensory receptors than the rest of the body.

A drop of 'liquid bandage' or equivalent onto a papercut can seal the skin to stop pain as well as prevent further opening of the wound (as is common on a location such as a finger).
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ew minor injuries are as painful as the dreaded paper cut. Just thinking about it probably makes you cringe. But these cuts are usually small, hardly noticeable, and rarely bleed. So what makes them so painful?

A paper cut is similar to a cut with a razor blade, with one major difference. A razor blade makes a smooth, clean incision in the skin, leaving behind few if any foreign particles that might cause the wound to become infected. Although it might hurt initially, the pain brought on by a small razor cut usually fades after a few minutes.

Like a superficial cut by a razor blade, a paper cut smoothly parts the skin. But while a clean razor leaves little behind to irritate the wound, a paper cut deposits material that really stings. Paper is made of pressed wood mulch and a variety of chemicals. When paper cuts into the skin, chemical-coated fibers as well as bacteria and tiny particles remain in the wound and stimulate pain receptors in the skin.

Because the cut is usually small and shallow, the skin on either side of the wound closes quickly, trapping the fibers and other particles inside. The result is a good deal of pain, and since the closed wound doesn't allow for much bleeding, the pain seems entirely out of proportion to a cut that you can barely detect.

So the next time you get a paper cut, remember this Moment of Science. It won't help dull the pain, but at least you'll know what's causing it.
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Treatments:
"The pen is mightier than the sword"--at least according to playwright Baron Edward Bulwer-Lytton. But slice your finger on the edge of an innocent-looking piece of paper and ... yowwwwwww! You'll learn firsthand of the awesome power of office supplies.

But here's what you can do about this skin-deep slice of life.

Use glue to renew. It's not exactly the kind of stuff they teach in medical school, but Krazy Glue, Super Glue or any other clear, super-strength bonder offers the fastest relief known to modern medicine. "It's really the best thing there is," says Rodney Basler, M.D., a dermatologist and assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. "It eliminates pain in about three seconds, because it immediately stops the air from hitting nerve endings--and air touching the nerves is what causes the pain. Just place a drop on the cut and repeat it the following day."

Although it "seals" instantly, a drop of this glue wears off in a day or so. Just be sure you don' t touch something in the instant or so before it dries, because it does bond very quickly to whatever you touch.

Adds Nelson Lee Novick, M.D., associate clinical professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City: "These glues plasticize so quickly that they act as a sealant, so healing can take place while the finger is protected from air and germs. And they're completely safe, because a paper cut is so minor that they never enter the bloodstream." However, Elmer's and other white and yellow glues don't work this way.

Apply New-Skin. "A product called New-Skin, also available at your drugstore, stings a little but acts as a liquid dressing and is excellent for paper cuts," says Dr. Novick.

Feel serene with Vaseline. If you have no super-strength bonder or antibiotic ointment, apply some petroleum jelly (Vaseline) to the cut. "It acts as a coating that prevents air from getting to sensitive, exposed tissue," explains Dr. Basler. "It also provides a moist base, so new skin tissues can grow more easily than if you apply nothing."

Nail that pain with nail polish. In a pinch, dabbing some clear nail polish after cleaning the wound will also seal it against air and germs, adds Dr. Novick. However, it doesn't promote faster healing.

Answer 3

Ask your doctor about an exercise routine. Regular exercise, such as walking three times a week, may reduce neuropathy pain, improve your muscle strength and help control blood sugar levels. Gentle routines such as yoga and tai chi might also help.

Answer 4

Yes they are really painful aren't they. Don't know why but the smallest of paper cuts really sting.

Answer 5

coz they are only cut on the inner surface and closer to the nerve endings

Answer 6

Isn't that just the truest, my, do I feel for those poor girls that work at the bank, no wonder they called tellers - tell me about it